Polka Dot Shorts

Polka Dot Shorts was a children's television show from TVOntario in Canada, but which has been broadcast around the world. It was created, produced and story edited by Jed MacKay, creator of TVO's successful show Join In!, and veteran children's TV writer/producer/composer. Approximately 180 episodes were produced from 1993–2001, all of which were produced by MacKay and directed by Michael McNamara. The series won a Gemini Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in 2000 for Best Pre-School Program or Series.

The show is based on the earlier Polka Dot Door, and stars that show's characters Polkaroo, Humpty, Dumpty, Marigold and Bear in their own world. The characters are portrayed by "physical theater" actors in large costumes; Marigold's performer, for example, had a ballet and circus background. The actors' ability to convey a wide range of emotion with neither moving mouths or eyes was seen as truly awe-inspiring. Charles Schott ("Bear") was a Gemini Awards Finalist for Best Performer in a Pre-School Series, in 2002.

Originally, each episode started with a human host (Deborah Drakeford) who would introduce each episode to a gathering of children as she was about to read the story from a book. The stories themselves were dramatized by actors in large suits, playing the puppets from Polka Dot Door, while the reader provided the dialogue. A new character was added to the Polka Dot Door family - Polkaroo's pet, named Bibble. Although Bibble was only capable of making sounds that loosely resemble "bibblebibblebibble", he was able to bibble in various tones which indicated his mood.

At one point in every episode, one or more of the characters would discover a large pair of polka dot shorts, and exclaim, "A great big pair of polka dot shorts! How did they get there?" Polkaroo's usual response would be, "I haven't the foggiest!"

Another special feature of the show was that some episodes were done entirely in rhyme, in which case the character who found the polka dot shorts would exclaim, "Polka dot shorts, a great big pair! How on earth did they get there?"

After the first two seasons the shows were re-edited. The human hostess/storyteller was cut, and the show's action started immediately.